Furniture construction.



0. RUDD.

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1. 1915.

I Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

OTTO RUDD, 0F KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB TO.-:..SIMMONS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF'WISCONSIN.

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

Application filed January 7, 1915. Serial No. 947.

furniture construction, and refers more particularly to a novel and simple arrangement for uniting cross rods and uprights to the head end or foot end of a bed frame.

The salient object of the invention is to provide improved means of fastenin the uprights and cross rods of the bed rame to the bed posts and top rail without perforating the tubing of which the posts and top; rail is constructed, and without the necessity of using extraneous fastening devices such as screws, bolts and the like. 7

The main ideaof the invention consists in confining the ends of the connecting bars, such as the filler bars or cross rods, in ferrules orcaps, which are secured to the imperforate portions of the frame members, such as the post and top rail, by a connection located wholly within the area of the contacting surfaces of. the end of the ferrule and the frame member. Preferably the union or connection is secured by an electric welding process such, for example, as the well-known spot welding.

This construction and the novel arrangement for assembling the units of the bed end permits of the use ofextremely light metallic stock while at the same time obtaining a structure which is sufiiciently strong and rigid to withstand the strains to which a structure of this kind is subjected. The use of this very light metal not only materially reduces the original cost of construction but it also descreases the freight rates as by the present invention the head and .foot ends 9f the bed will weigh materially less than in prior construction of brass and iron beds. Furthermore, the bed, being muchlighter than constructions of this klnd which have been heretofore made, can be more readily moved around by the user.

One of the difficulties experienced by'the manufacturer in brass and iron beds of this type, is in so formi the joints at the ends of the filler rods an cross bars as to avoid cracking of the enamel or paint with which the bed is coated. This cracking is due to the fact, that difiiculty has been experienced in getting a joint which will not loosen or which will prevent any play of the 'parts.

These objections are overcome in the present invention for the reason that the ferrules, which are the parts directly connected to the uprights and top rail of the bed ends, are

secured to and become substantially a uni-' tary part of the members to which they are united.

In constructing the bed units, the relatively large tubular members which form the main uprights and top rails of the end members of the bed, may first be bent to the desired sha e, and the ferrulesor caps which are to hol the filler rods and cross bars electrically spot-welded in place. The cross rod or rods and the upright filler bars ma then be inserted in thecaps or ferrules an pressed or driven into position, and the end member is then completely assembled as a unit.

It is to be understood that as far as the broader aspects of the present device is concerned, the particular cross section outlined of the tubular member is immaterial.

In its broader aspects my invention is not limited to the details of construction shown except as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front ele-' vation of a bed unit embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of securingthe ferrules to the tubing. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross section through one of the oints.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the spot-weldings on one' of the particularl f noted that the top rail and pillars or pos s v areformed from a single tub- 5 ing of light weight metal. In the embodiment shown in" the drawings the tubing is circular in cross section. 'A crossbar or .lower rail 7- extends between the pillarsz2 b ends in the manner hereinafter described. Between .the cross bar or lower rail 7 and the top rail 6 are positioned a plurality of filler bar's'or rods 8. The upper. ends of fthe'se rods are fixed" within caps or ferand'3. and is secured thereto at its opposite rules 9 securedto the top rail, and the lower dudsii t in .similar caps or ferrules 10 secured to the cross bar. The ends of the lower cross rail 7 are also fixed'inferrules l2 and 13- carried respectively by the posts angle. Describing now. the manner of securing these various ferrules in place, which forms one ofthe important features of my invention, thecapsare all secured to the pilsurfaces of the ends .ofthe ferrules and the frame members, preferably in the manner now to be described. After themain tubing has been bent to form the posts and top rail, the ferrules 9 are spot-welded to the lower .face ofthetop, rail 6 and the ferrules 12 and 13 to theinside of the posts '2 .and 3. The particular mechanism bywhich'thisspotwelding is. done forms no part of the present invention, but for purposes; of clearness referencemay be had to the diagrammatic showing of. ,Fig. 2. ,The ferrule 10, the clos'ed end of which is shaped to fit'the pe- Yip'heny of. the tubular member, is positioned @10 as showh' in Fig. 2, and the part'sto be so welded placedin a suitable spot-welding machine betweenthe electrodes. The electrodes are moved into direct contact on the ferrules 10 and lower face of the tubular memher 7 (in the present instance), and then current issupplied from alsuitable source, as a battery 15, by closing the switch 17. This operation spot-welds the ferrule to the "tube sothat it in efl'ectbe'comes an integral partlof the latter. Preferably-the electrodes are two-point electrodes, so as to form two spot-we1ds18 as shown in.Fig. 4:. Whetherthe electrodes have one point or a plurality of points is immaterial, as far as the broader aspects of the invention are concerned.

I have found that in spot-welding the parts in question it' is not necessary that the electrodes both come 1nto lmmediate physical contact with the parts which are directly welded. "It will be noticed in the .diagram that the; electrode; 16 comes into contact with the tubular member 7 at the lower face of the latter. The spot-welding is performed in this manner as efiiciently as tion of the tubing and without the use of if an arbor were inserted in the tubular 5 -member 7No-difficulty would of course be experlenced in putting an arbor in the straight tube 7, but if the upper ferrule 9 were not welded to the toprail 6 until after the outer frame was bent 'nto position, then it can be readily seen that difliculty would 'eexperienced in inserting an arbor in the top rail 6. It is to be understood of course that the ferrules 9 are secured to the top rail, and the ferrules 12 to the pillars in the same manner as the ferruleslO. are secured to the bottom rail 7. After the ferrules have all been secured in place the filler "bars 8 have their ends inserted in the respective ferrules 9 and 10,"and are pressed, driven or otherwise forced into position. The ends of the bottom rail 7 are also similarly inserted in the ferrules 12 and 13, the pillars being sprung sufficiently to permit of the insertion of the ends of the rail 7 in its 5 ferrules. By this simple operation the bed unit is now completely assembled. lars and the top railby a connection located whollywithin the area of the contacting It is to be noted that the entire bed unit is constructed without perforating any porrods or other members extending into the tubes, and there is al 0 a totalabsence of 'any extraneous fasteni g devices. The per-' manent union between the ferrules and the outer frame ofthe bed unit prevents the parts working loose at these joints and thus obviating the difficulty heretofore referred to. It is of course apparent that various other forms and shapes of tubing can be" employed, and I do not desire to limit the invention except as'specified in the appended claims.-

I claim asmy invention:

1. In a furniture construction," the combination with spaced hollow metallic framemembers, and a connecting member extending therebetween, of means for holding said connecting member rigid to the frame-mem- .bers, comprising opposed" ferrules having open ends" fitting over the ends of the connecting member and closed ends abutting against the frame-members and directly secured thereto while maintaining the latter imperforate.

2. In a furniture constructlon, the'combination with a hollow metallic frame-member and a bar extending in angular relation thereto, of means for holding said bar rigid to the frame-member, comprising a. ferrule having one end telescopically engaged with said bar and its opposite end abutting against and united-to the outer surface'of the frame-member, the area of union being positionediwholly within the area of con tacting surfaces of the ferrule and framemember while maintaining imperforate the portion of the flame-member to which the ferrule is secured.

open ends fitting over the ends of the connecting member and closed ends secured directly to the frame member With a spotweld.

Witnesses:

J. H. CANTWELL, JOHN BURNS.

OTTO RUDD. 

